Have a Disaster Recovery Plan in place!

Original Content | 09/09/2023 | by Laz A, Mataz

[Lazamataz]

Harro everynyan. How are you fine sank you.

I found out the hard way, it is critical that each of you have a disaster recovery plan in place, as regards your personal computer and important emails.

One of my computers lost function of its graphics card. It boots fine but I cannot see anything on the monitor except for brief moments. The monitor is working fine; its definitely the graphics card. I was in the process of transferring to a new computer and was about halfway finished.

I was able to log into my most important email account (the one just about everything is tied to, bank cards, credit cards, my Steam gaming account, everything.

Well as luck would have it, I accidentally laid something on the return key on the only login into my new computer. You know how keyboards have an extra return key on the far right. Well, my new computer treated the repeated returns as a hack attempt and locked that account out entirely.

I had no admin account except that one. I had no way into the computer because I no longer remembered the email password to that one important account, and since it was an account tied to Microsoft account login, I NEEDED to verify my way into the new computer using that account... but I couldn't.

Long story made short: EVERY way I attempted to log into the important email account and EVERY way I attempted to verify my way into the new computer failed. Every. Single. One. I spent a whole day on it without success.

I ended up reinstalling windows so I could get an admin account I could use, again... the default one. In that process, however, I nuked all my transferred email passwors in the original new computer account.

That one important email account was among the nuked, and every attempt I made to verify I owned the email account by using other email accounts, failed. So, I called the Yahoo Premium Support number and was able to verify to the representative that I actually owned the important email address, which (Thank God) was on Yahoo. (If it was on Gmail, there is no callable support number. Same with any Microsoft-based email). However, because I had made several dozen recovery attempts, I was required to wait a day and reverify with Yahoo and they would reset my password. Excessive recovery attempts lock the Yahoo account for 24 hours, not even a representative can fix it until the cooldown period has passed.

So, I may be able to recover the important email account with Yahoo Premium Support. But, even if for whatever new reason, I cannot, I can plug a new graphics card into the old computer, log into all my accounts with that, and note or change all the passwords.

I use a different password with every single account, bank, credit card, or whatever. While it places me in a jeapordy situation like I am experiencing, it is safest if someone compromises one account.

So, I learned the following:

1. Don't nuke the default admin account on a new computer you are setting up. You may need it someday. Just have a hard password and physically write down the password in a safe place.

2. In fact, write down all your passwords in that same safe location. Be dilligent in updating them when you change them.

3. I hate associating a phone with an email account, but I may want to rethink that. But even then you must be dilligent in updating all your accounts if you lose your phone and need to get a new number.

4. Your disaster recovery plan may differ from mine, detailed about. BUT NO MATTER WHAT, think about what a disaster recovery plan that works for YOU might look like. Think in terms of house fires of floods, or just bungling your way into computer quicksand, as happened to me.

[webheart]

Transfer the hard drive into a new box. It will be like nothing ever happened. Unless you are using windows 7. If your old computer has any expansion slots you can get a second video adapter. Or use a USB 3 video dongle.

[ansel12]

“””I was able to log into my most important email account (the one just about everything is tied to, bank cards, credit cards, my Steam gaming account, everything.”””

You can have your email forwarded to a second account for backup.
I have all my email accounts forwarded to the email that I actually use daily and I can even answer from it and it uses whatever the first email address was for the response.

[Lazamataz]

"All this crap is to the point of making our lives more difficult and complicated than easier. I miss the simple, non commercialized internet of the 90s.now I have to change my password every 6 months and can’t use certain characters and two different authentication methods minimum. Spit."

To illustrate your point, read this actual exchange I had with Windows 11:

WINDOWS: Please enter your new password.

USER: cabbage

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must be more than 8 characters.

USER: boiled cabbage

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must contain 1 numerical character.

USER: 1 boiled cabbage

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot have blank spaces.

USER: 50goddamedboiledcabbages

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must contain at least one upper case character.

USER: 50GODDAMNEDboiledcabbages

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot use more than one upper case character consecutively.

USER: 50GoddamnedBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourAssIfYouDon’tGiveMeAccessNow!

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot contain punctuation.

USER: ReallyPissedOff50GoddamnedBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourAssIfYouDontGiveMeAccessNow

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must contain at least one special character, such as @, #, $, or %.

USER: ***ReallyPissedOff50GoddamnedBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourAssIfYouDontGiveMeAccessNow

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot start with a special character.

USER: Really*Pissed*Off*50GoddamnedBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourAssIfYouDontGiveMeAccessNow

WINDOWS: Sorry, that password is already in use by another user.

[dfwgator]

That’s a classic!

[Lazamataz]

Transfer the hard drive into a new box.

That's another idea I had. I won't keep it like that, the new machine has a terabyte SSD as opposed to the old machine's HD.

[Track9]

You could have brought your computer to The Mac Shop in Wilmington, Delaware. John Paul would have fixed you right up.

[P.O.E.]

My rules of thumb:

At least 3 different digital places (I have 4: PC, Cloud, DVD, External HD). I keep an HD at work, too

At least two physical copies:

paper printouts for passwords, bills, insurance, etc.

I wait for a sale and run photos through the lab and get physical prints.

[ansel12]

Among the first things I do with a computer is google how to skip sign-in, how to add a sleep button and an off button to the taskbar, open files with a single mouse click instead of double-click, automatically direct the mouse to the info fill box, download ‘volume2’ for mouse control of volume level and all kinds of little things and settings tweaks that make my computing so clean and simple.

People marvel at how much I change their computing experience when they bring me their laptops and make them more user-friendly.

[usconservative]

Yubikey ... just sayin'.

Don't keep your passwords and MFA on your computer at all.

As for my investment accounts, online banking, etc.. I keep that all in a secured & encrypted VM that I start up only when I need it, ensure it's secure (no malware, viruses, etc..) and then shut it down when I'm done and take it back offline.

By offline, it's on a separate, removable SSD.

Yes, I have a duplicate of it also.

There's your recovery plan. You're welcome.

(Let me know if I can help my brother from another mother. Always here for you.)

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

Each time we've "enjoyed" an adventure something like yours, I took the offending hard drive out, got the proper connector and used it as if a slave drive -- yeah, I know that's old verbiage -- off of which to read.

All such can then be read by a new drive with those programs which happily open all the "data," as if nothing happened.

And use a stand-alone to daily -- if very active -- or weekly backup of all important files and programs. Keep all installation programs separately, so that they can be re-installed on another drive. For our most expensive couple of programs, I also burned DVD copies for safekeeping, along with all passwords in an encrypted file.

Best wishes.

[George from New England]

The ‘new wave’ of so called ‘security’ is to encrypt your hard drive. Or ssd device. That way if you have to send the drive for warranty or replacement, they can’t read your data. You can’t read it which is why you send it back. But most likely they will be able to read it.

What if you have to move the ‘drive’ to another machine, will you be able to access any data there ???

It’s gotten worse not better — thank you hacker world and evil one.

[Lazamataz]

I may indeed be axing. <— (That’s a little Ghettobonics lingo, there.)

[usconservative]

I speak jive

[GaltAdonis]

"Is that a recommendation?"

.

I'd take it as one.
(This coming from a guy who has now been using various versions/distributions of Linux exclusively for several months now...)

All of my computer functions are now running on Linux.

Ubuntu is cool - Easy - Solid. 'Gibralter-esque', even...

.

(The Rock of Gibralter)

.

Ubuntu Linux Mini PC, AMD A9 9400 (up to 3.2 Ghz) Mini Computer,
8GB RAM 128GB SSD, Micro Desktop Computer PC with Dual 4K HDMI,
2.4G/5G Dual WiFi Bluetooth 4.0 Type-C USB 3.0 Linux Mini PC

$89.00 Yep.

Ubuntu is pre-installed. - Just plug the thing in & turn it on.

NO 'MS-Hiccups'. It's downright pleasurable, quite frankly.

[aquila48]

LOL!

[George from New England]

Link please ?

private email if you prefer

[Clutch Martin]

Keep a flashlight flash drive with all your files, all your photos, at all your music. Software comes with the computers you buy after the event. Flash drives should be stored off site and updated at least once a year probably every 6 months if you’re heavily involved with lots of file activity.

Keep canned beans in the cupboard for emergencies because you don’t have to cook it and they’ll last quite a while even without refrigeration once opened. Just about everything else requires a heat source which could be difficult.

Safe drinking water is the most important. If your house is still standing and you need to flush your toilets use your swimming pool above ground and ground if it’s still exists. Know how to purify water with the ditch method.

Know how to start a fire from scratch without a fire starting device. It’s a good recreational activity until you get it down to a science. Fire Starting devices includes magnifying glasses ...etc you need to learn how to create friction & start smoking up some tinder.

Fire starters are not tinder. BTW a magnesium sparking rod is cool. So us a megger or some 9v’s and 0000 steel wool.

Don’t have any fire starters? Vaseline on cotton balls stuck away in old medicine containers work great. So does cooking oils on a paper towel. Keep tarps handy, you might be sleeping under one. Garden tools help alot.

I know this article is just talking about computer files but I figured a little extra info during Hurricane Season might be useful.

Maintaining 98.6° Fahrenheit is critical.

[Lazamataz]

Linux is too nerdy for even THIS nerd.

Grep THIS, Linux. Just commit Sudocide.

[Lazamataz]

I have AT LEAST a year of canned food. While they might not be as palatable past the use-by date, they are edible, but I also have a store of multivitamins to supplement the nutrients they lack.

[Lazamataz]

Interesting. I shall replicate.